Many writers have shared their thoughts with the public:

"Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining it." - Hannah Arendt

"Forget all the rules. Forget about being published. Write for yourself and celebrate writing." - Melinda Haynes

"I believe one writes because one has to create a world in which one can live." - Anais Nin

"If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot." - Stephen King

"To understand a literary style, consider what it omits." - Mason Cooley

"It is human nature to imagine, to put yourself in another's shoes. " - Geraldine Brooks

"Being a good writer is 3% talent, 97% not being distracted by the internet." - Anon

Publishing Novels

This is a selected list of publishers that accept unsolicited manuscripts for adults' and\or children's novels, for traditional commercial publishing. They accept submissions from Australians of all cultural backgrounds and may accept submissions from writers in New Zealand and other countries too. Some have restrictions on genre and\or length. Some publishers accept submissions at any time while others are open at various times during the year.

Publishers generally expect a cover letter, a synopsis and either sample chapters from your manuscript or the whole manuscript. They may ask about your intended audience and comparision titles in the market. It can also be helpful if you can list short stories (or previous novels) that you've published, prizes that you've won in competitions or writing residencies that you've obtained, to demonstrate your writing ability. Their websites explain what you need to provide when making a submission. A publisher can take months to respond to you, and some will respond only if they're interested in further considering your manuscript.

Most publishers won't accept material created using generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) because they're interested in your experience, imagination, thoughts, feelings etc and they appreciate writing on which you've spent time, effort and skill. They also want to see your personal writing style rather than a homogenized one from a computer program.

If you have a manuscript accepted by a publisher, they'll send you a contract, ask for certain publication rights and pay you royalties on copies of your novel that they sell.

There are other publishers besides the ones on this list. Some are restricted to writers from particular backgrounds, some accept submissions only from literary agents, some offer self-publishing (where you pay them to print your novel and you're responsible for marketing it) and some offer hybrid publishing (where you pay part of the costs).

I'm not affiliated with any of these publishers and can't guarantee the accuracy of the information so please do your own research before submitting anything.

Publishers for adults' novels:

• Allen & Unwin. Accepts submissions from residents of Australia and New Zealand. Accepts submissions at any time through their redundantly named 'Friday Pitch'. Accepts novels (not novellas) excluding fantasy and science fiction. Requires a cover letter, 300 word synopsis and the first three chapters.
• Scribe Publications. Accepts submissions during three-week periods twice a year. Accepts literary fiction. Requires a cover letter, 500 word synopsis and a 1500 word excerpt from the manuscript.
• Text Publishing. Accepts submissions from citizens or residents of Australia and New Zealand. Accepts submissions at times. Accepts manuscripts of 40,000 - 120,000 words. Requires a cover letter, synopsis and the first three chapters.
• Wakefield Press. Accepts submissions at times. Requires a cover letter, 200 word synopsis and the whole manuscript.

Publishers for children's novels:

As you can see, many of these are the same publishers that accept submissions for adults' novels. They have varying category descriptions and word counts for manuscripts for children's novels. Some specify age ranges and others have more general descriptions.

• Allen & Unwin. Accepts submissions that have a connection to Australia or New Zealand. Accepts submissions at any time through their redundantly named 'Friday Pitch'. Accepts manuscripts for beginner readers aged 5 - 7 years: 5000 - 10,000 words, confident readers aged 7 - 9 years: 10,000 - 25,000 words, middle-grade readers aged 10 - 13 years: 25,000 - 50,000 words, young adult readers aged 14+ years: 50,000 - 100,000 words. Requires a cover letter, 300 word synopsis and the first chapter.
• Scribble (an imprint of Scribe Publications). Accepts submissions at times.
• Text Publishing. Accepts submissions at times. Accepts submissions from citizens or residents of Australia and New Zealand. Accepts manuscripts for junior fiction and middle-grade fiction: 10,000 - 80,000 words, and young-adult fiction: 40,000 - 120,000 words. Requires a cover letter, synopsis and the first three chapters.
• Wakefield Press. Accepts submissions at times. Requires a cover letter, 200 word synopsis and the whole manuscript.